The number of beneficiaries of the "Iftar" project, carried out by the Foundation within the UAE State, amounts to nearly 1.5 million people during the holy month, with more than 450,000 persons benefiting from the project in 40 Arab and Muslim countries around the world. This comes as a dedication of the values of human solidarity during the holy month and a confirmation of Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation mission of seeking to support and assist the segments affected by the hard living circumstances and to improve the conditions of the poor and needy categories.

His Excellency Mohammed Hajji Al Khouri, KBZF General Manager, emphasized, during a press conference held at the Foundation headquarters, that the Foundation's projects in Ramadan embodies the deep-rooted humanitarian values and principles of giving and sacrifice in our religion in order to extend the bonds of noble relationships and feelings towards brothers and friends.

Al Khouri extended thanks and appreciation to all those who contributed to the preparations for implementing the project since early such as the Ministry of the Interior, UAE Municipalities, Civil Defense Department, traffic police, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and all the national companies and organizations.

He also thanked the media; including the visual, readable and audio media, for their role in highlighting the charity and humanitarian projects undertaken by Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation on the domestic and global arenas.

Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation General Manager stressed the Foundation's interest in dedicating its attention to the care for vulnerable groups and preservation of human dignity and providing the best levels of service for the categories targeted with the seasonal projects domestically and globally on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, in conformity to the reputation and status which constitute a humanitarian responsibility the Foundation is keen on shouldering honestly and proudly.

He said that the Foundation's Ramadan projects dedicate the message of social solidarity, referring to the reality experienced by millions of people in many brotherly and friendly countries which suffer from increasing poverty, calling for the necessity of intensifying subsidies to support the vulnerable segments by extending more assistance and launching further initiatives in all fields.

His Excellency, the General Manager mentioned the report issued by "the World Bank and IMF" and which expected an increase in the number of those who will be under the absolute poverty line to approximately 53 million people by 2015 and the number of the poor to nearly 920 million over the coming five years. Therefore, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation works through its various humanitarian projects to reduce the pace of poverty in developing countries in the key areas and targets such as the problems related to starvation, maternal and child health and gaining access to clean water and disease control.

Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation General Manager pointed out that the Foundation had completed, at the local level, drafting of the "Iftar project," through which it provides about 1,600,000 breakfast meals during the holy month, and the project is carried out nationwide.

He noted that Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, for the purpose of implementing the huge project locally, such project which is considered the largest on the regional arena, had contracted 90 institutions engaged in providing food and have experience in this field while the number of companies specialized in tent construction reached 10 companies which designed the tents to meet all the needs of comfort and safety.

The Foundation had contributed to the support of productive families in the holy month by assigning them to prepare Ramadan meals for fasters and motivating them to work in the areas of charity and humanitarian work.

He explained that the Iftar projects were established in the sites characterized by high population density, especially low-income people, such as the areas where workers exist in the different industrial areas and close to the public markets in all the emirates of the state in order to reach the largest possible number of eligible beneficiaries.

At the external level, Al Khouri said that Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation had carried out, during the holy month of Ramadan, Iftar projects, distributing foodstuff parcels to about 40 countries around the world for the benefit of nearly 450,000 people, which emanates from the Foundation's humanitarian mission and responsibility towards the poor and the needy, and to achieve its mission and humanitarian initiatives in order to improve the conditions of the vulnerable and build bridges of cooperation and a giving with the brotherly and friendly peoples, especially those suffering from the hard conditions of living.

The projects also cover South Africa, Italy, France, Tanzania, China, and Shanghai, in addition to Greece, Albania, the Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eritrea and Argentina.

The implementation of these projects abroad comes as a confirmation and consolidation of the Foundation's distinguished role in support of the poor societies and reaching the needy wherever they are through numerous humanitarian initiatives.